FEE

The registration fee is $50. The fee is intended to cover city administrative requirements.

PENALTY

Any violation of the proposed ordinance is subject to citation into Municipal Court as a petty misdemeanor.

BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS

Vacant properties have wreaked havoc across the country in that these properties more often than not are neglected by the mortgagee, whether the mortgagee is an individual or a financial institution.

These vacant properties often become a blight upon the community and can, if they remain vacant long enough, become attractive nuisances. However, many of these properties do not rise to the level of a true public nuisance, wherein the city can clean up the property (or even demolish it as unsafe in certain circumstances), and place a lien upon the property. Rather, many are simply unkempt and unsightly, and can lower property values in the neighborhood, as well as discourage potential buyers. A major problem for municipal Code Enforcement in these foreclosure cases is the ability to locate and speak to/cite the current owners. In many if not most cases, the legal owner of the vacant, foreclosed home is the mortgagee.

This ordinance is similar to other ordinances in other cities experiencing this vacant property problem and addresses the issue of identification of current ownership and applies certain responsibilities to the owners. It generally declares such abandoned, vacant properties to be public nuisances; requires the mortgagee/owner of such properties to inspect the properties upon default; register each property with the city annually as long as it is vacant; provide contact information for the mortgagee/owner and its property maintenance company; maintain the property to specified standards; secure the property to specified standards; and implement any other maintenance/security measures as may be appropriate to the specific circumstances.

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